Secure data storage device and method of storing and retrieving user data

Abstract

In a portable and secure data storage device 100 , access may be gained to a user memory by scanning at least two different fingerprints with a fingerprint scanner 12 . In an enrolment mode of the data storage device, at least two different administrator fingerprints from at least one administrator are scanned and enrolled. In a further enrolment mode of the data storage device, at least two different user fingerprints from at least one user are scanned and enrolled. In a normal operation mode of the data storage device, at least two different fingerprints are scanned and verified against the enrolled administrator fingerprints and the enrolled user fingerprints, and access is gained to the data storage device for storing user data and/or retrieving user data if the verification of each of the different fingerprints is successful.

1 . A method of storing and/or retrieving user data in a secure data storage device, the method comprising:
 enrolling administrator fingerprints by:
 in an enrolment mode of the data storage device, scanning M different administrator fingerprints from at least one administrator (M≧2); 
 generating administrator fingerprint bio-data from the scanned administrator fingerprints; and 
 storing the administrator fingerprint bio-data to enrol the administrator fingerprints, 
   accessing the data storage device by:
 in a normal operation mode of the data storage device, scanning P different fingerprints (2≦P≦M); 
 verifying each of the P fingerprints against the enrolled administrator fingerprints; 
 if the verification of each of the P fingerprints is successful:
 storing the user data by: 
 receiving the user data; and 
 storing the user data in the data storage device, and/or 
 retrieving the user data by: 
 reading the user data in the data storage device; and 
 outputting the user data from the data storage device. 
 
   
   
   
       2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 enrolling user fingerprints by:
 in an enrolment mode of the data storage device, scanning N different user fingerprints from at least one user (N≧2); 
 generating user fingerprint bio-data from the scanned user fingerprints; and 
 storing the user fingerprint bio-data to enrol the user fingerprints, 
   
     wherein, in accessing the data storage device, each of the P fingerprints is verified against the enrolled administrator fingerprints and the enrolled user fingerprints (2≦P≦M+N). 
   
   
       3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 resetting fingerprints by:
 in an enrolment mode of the data storage device, scanning M different fingerprints; 
 verifying each of the M fingerprints against the enrolled administrator fingerprints; 
 if the verification of each of the M fingerprints is successful, resetting all enrolled administrator fingerprints. 
   
   
   
       4 . The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 resetting fingerprints by:
 in an enrolment mode of the data storage device, scanning M different fingerprints; 
 verifying each of the M fingerprints against the enrolled administrator fingerprints; 
 if the verification of each of the M fingerprints is successful, resetting all enrolled administrator fingerprints and all enrolled user fingerprints. 
   
   
   
       5 . The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 resetting fingerprints by:
 in an enrolment mode of the data storage device, scanning Q different fingerprints (Q≦M+N); 
 verifying each of the Q fingerprints against the enrolled administrator fingerprints and the enrolled user fingerprints; 
 if the verification of each of the Q fingerprints is successful, and the verification of at least one of the Q fingerprints is successful against an enrolled user fingerprint, resetting all enrolled user fingerprints. 
   
   
   
       6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein M=2. 
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein N=2 or 4. 
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein N=2 or 4. 
   
   
       9 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein N=2 or 4. 
   
   
       10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein P=2. 
   
   
       11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein Q=2. 
   
   
       12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein if the verification of at least three subsequent fingerprints is unsuccessful, access is denied to the data storage device. 
   
   
       13 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 storing the user data by:   receiving the user data;   encrypting the user data to produce encrypted user data; and   storing the encrypted user data in the data storage device, and/or retrieving the user data by:   reading the encrypted user data in the data storage device;   decrypting the encrypted user data to produce the user data; and   outputting the user data from the data storage device.   
   
   
       14 . A data storage device, comprising:
 a fingerprint sensor configured to scan fingerprints to generate fingerprint bio-data;   a bio-data storage unit configured to store the fingerprint bio-data;   a user data storage unit configured to store user data;   a data processing system configured to interface with the fingerprint sensor, the bio-data storage unit, the user data storage unit, and an external host computer system, wherein the data processing unit is configured to store and/or retrieve user data in the data storage device by:   enrolling administrator fingerprints by:
 in an enrolment mode of the data storage device, scanning M (M≧2) different administrator fingerprints from at least one administrator by the fingerprint sensor; 
 the data processing system generating administrator fingerprint bio-data from the scanned administrator fingerprints, and storing the administrator fingerprint bio-data in the bio-data storage unit to enrol the administrator fingerprints, 
   accessing the data storage device by:
 in a normal operation mode of the data storage device, scanning P (2≦P≦M) different fingerprints by the fingerprint sensor; 
 the data processing system verifying each of the P fingerprints against the enrolled administrator fingerprints; 
 if the verification of each of the P fingerprints is successful:
 storing the user data by: 
 the data processing system receiving the user data from the external host computer system, and storing the user data in the user data storage unit, and/or 
 retrieving the user data by: 
 the data processing system reading the user data from the user data storage unit, and outputting the user data to the external host computer system. 
 
   
   
   
       15 . The data storage device according to  claim 14 , wherein the data processing unit is further configured to:
 enrolling user fingerprints by:
 in an enrolment mode of the data storage device, scanning N (N≧2) different user fingerprints from at least one user by the fingerprint sensor; 
 the data processing system generating user fingerprint bio-data from the scanned user fingerprints, and storing the user fingerprint bio-data to enrol the user fingerprints, 
   
     wherein, in accessing the data storage device, each of the P (2≦P≦M+N) fingerprints is verified against the enrolled administrator fingerprints and the enrolled user fingerprints. 
   
   
       16 . The data storage device according to  claim 14 , wherein said fingerprint sensor is a capacitive or electric field sensing device. 
   
   
       17 . The data storage device according to  claim 14 , further comprising a computer serial bus interface unit coupled to the data processing system for connecting the data storage device to the host computer system. 
   
   
       18 . The data storage device of  claim 17 , wherein the computer serial bus interface unit comprises a USB or FireWire™ (IEEE1394) computer serial bus interface unit.